The present invention relates to a disc changer to be used for a disc which serves as a data recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc).
Conventionally, as a disc changer to be used for a disc which serves as a data recording medium such as a CD, there has been a generally known one, as exemplified in FIG. 7, in which a recording and reproducing unit 110 for recording information on a disc 155 and reproducing the information recorded on the disc 155 is provided in its main body 102, a magazine 150 for lodging therein discs 155 is mounted adjacently beside the recording and reproducing unit 110 and a disc transfer unit 130 for transferring the disc 155 is provided between the magazine 150 and the recording and reproducing unit 110.
The disc transfer unit 130 is provided with an engagement arm 132 which is engaged with a tray 156 for retaining the disc 155 and a transfer member 131 which extends in a disc transfer direction (the lateral direction in FIG. 7). This transfer member 131 is normally provided with a rack (not shown) extending in the direction in which the transfer member extends (i.e., in the disc transfer direction). As described later, by driving the transfer member 131 by an electric motor (not shown) or the like via a gear mechanism (not shown) provided with a gear to be meshed with this rack, the tray 156 that is retaining the disc 155 is transferred between the magazine 150 and the recording and reproducing unit 110. The imaginary lines indicated by the one-dot chain lines in FIG. 7 show a state in which the disc 155 and )the tray 156 (see the illustration indicated by the solid lines) lodged in the magazine 150 are drawn out rightward and transferred to be mounted on the recording and reproducing unit 110.
For the purpose of making the transfer member 131 slide smoothly, a pair of guide sections 137 for slidably guiding the transfer member 131 in the disc transfer direction are provided. These guide sections 137 and 137 are arranged so that one of them is generally placed in a position where it protrudes on the magazine 150 side for the purpose of more stably guiding the slide operation of the transfer member 131. Conventionally, these guide sections 137 and 137 have been provided as fixed to the disc changer body 102.
On the other hand, the recording and reproducing unit 110 is provided with a turntable 112 on which the disc 155 is placed and rotated and a pickup section 111 for writing information on the disc 155 or reading the information recorded on the disc 155 rotated on this turntable 112. The pickup section 111 and the turntable 112 are supported on a base block and normally driven integrally with the base block for the purpose of holding the disc 155 placed on the turntable 112 between the turntable and the base plate of the recording and reproducing unit 110 in a clamped state.
Conventionally, the transfer member 131 has been formed as a rigid body of, for example, a steel plate having a specified thickness (e.g., about 1 mm), and for the purpose of avoiding the possible occurrence of an interference of the transfer member 131 with the magazine 150, the guide sections 137 are provided outside the outermost portion of an outer wall of the magazine body 151 by a specified dimension.
Therefore, it is required to secure in a direction perpendicular to the disc transfer direction a space for the slide operation of the transfer member 131, i.e., a space (see the dimension Y2 in FIG. 7) between the outermost portion of the outer wall of the magazine body 151 and a side wall 105 of the disc changer body 102 of at least to a certain size. Particularly in a disc changer for onboard use in a vehicle where the mounting space is limited, the above arrangement is disadvantageous in attempting to reduce the size of the disc changer.
Furthermore, the guide sections 137 have been conventionally provided as fixed to the disc changer body 102, and therefore, it has been not so easy to achieve a layout such that the interference of the guide sections 137 and the transfer member 131 with the other drive components such as the turntable 112 and the pickup section 111 driven inside the disc changer body 102 can be infallibly avoided within the limited space.